Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy - PS2

We got this game at Christmas this year. My boy absolutely loved it! He played this game till he beat it, then he played it some more. It didn't take him as long to beat it as it did the first game (Lego Star Wars).

This game is very much like the original Lego Star Wars game. So, want a more detailed review, read my review on Lego Star Wars. The main difference between the games in my opinion is it is set in the Episode 4-6 series instead of the Episode 1-3. You are suppose to be able to import your unlocked characters from the first game into this one, but that didn't work for me. I'm not sure why, but not a major factor either.

It is rated E10+. I don't see the reason not to give it the E rating like the first game.

A neat feature it had was if you registered your game online, it would give you 2 cheat codes that you could enter and unlock 2 characters that you could use. A neat feature to try to get people to register.

It did have a character generator where you could have Darth Vader's, Stormtroopers legs, Hans shirt, etc.

When I asked him what he thought of the game, my boy said:

I loved being able to mix and match character parts to make your own playable character. I also liked that you could have 3 saved games. I really liked the bonus levels that were behind the gold and silver doors. Those doors opened up, and were really cool. I really liked being able to rip peoples arms off when play as Chewbacca. It was also really fun when the rankor was chasing you.

I don't (and neither did my son) mind that the game wasn't much different in game play then the first one. I actually found the story more enjoyable but that is because I grew up on the Original Trilogy.

Playable ages: 5+
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor)
Players: 1-2
Overall Rating: 9.1

Find information about it at Playstation or at the official site at Lucas Arts.
Have questions? Ask, and I'll try to answer them.

Battlefront II - PS2 - Update

Back in March I reviewed Battlefront II and I had told you my boy just loved it. Well, we finished the game last week.

I had a couple more points I wanted to bring up.

One, this game ,more than any other, has my son coming back for more. Of all the games we have, he probably plays this more than any other.

Two, Either because he is now almost 7, or just the amount of play time he has put in, the game is getting far more playable for him. As I said, we did beat the game. That is still not something he can do on his own yet, but he's getting there.

Still Here

My son and I are still around. My son likes to play the Play Station and Computer games so much, when summer comes around, I try to limit his playtime some. He's still played a lot, but nothing new.

Now that the weather is cooling off, and Christmas is just around the corner, I'm sure we'll have new games to review before long.

Lego Star Wars - PS2

We got this game for my son several weeks ago. It was non-stop playing for a couple of weeks. He loved this game. I loved the fact he didn't need my help every couple of minutes.

You get to play as characters from The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. You get to pod race on Mos Espa, repel the droid army in the Genosian arena and replay other well known scenes of the movies.

You get to be characters like Darth Maul, Yoda, Anakin, R2-D2, C3PO, Jango Fett, Count Dooku, and others as you progress through the game and unlock them. These other characters help you solve puzzles when you use their special abilities.

In addition to a single-player mode, there is a '‘drop in, drop out'’ two-player co-operative mode allowing a second player to enter or leave the action whenever they want. There is also a free-play mode where unlocked characters can be played in different scenarios to those of the films. This adds immeasurably to the game'’s replayability and there are further incentives to complete the game for budding Jedi Knights in the form of hidden levels and vehicles.

This is definitelytly worth the money. We have looked at it for some time, and finally got it. Now I wish we hadn't waited so long.

When I asked him what he thought of the game, my boy said:

It's pretty cool. It's all pretty cool. You get to buy stuff. I really like it when you kill guys and they bust to pieces. And when my guy dies, he busts a part, and then he comes back together.
I also like that more than one person can play the game.

This is a good game for young kids, and he had no problem controlling the game. There were only 1 or 2 places where I helped himDefinitelytly a must buy.

Playable ages: 5+
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
ESRB Rating: Everyone (Violence)
Players: 1-2
Overall Rating: 9.1

Find information about it at Playstation or at the official site at Eidosinteractive.com.
Have questions? Ask, and I'll try to answer them.

Frogger Ancient Shadow - PS2

One of the things I've not liked about this game is the lack of information on it on the Internet. We got stuck at a particular place, and was having problems figuring out what to do. So, I hit the Net to look for ideas, and could find none. A few suggestions here and there, but nothing to really help me to help my son.

I will give you a slight hint (nothing big). There is a double jump. It was alluded to in the game, but I never saw where it was taught. Hit the triangle 2 times for the double jump.

The multi-player capability is a head to head type of play. With a multi-tap, you can have up to 4 players play. There are 8 games that you can unlock as you play. The eighth game is the 1981 Arcade Frogger game.

This game was ok. Nothing spectatular. But a decent game. We got this game at the same time as others, and so, it didn't get much play time.

Playable ages: 6+
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Players: 1-4
Overall Rating: 5

Find information about it at Playstation or the official site at Konami Digital Entertainment.
Have questions? Ask, and I'll try to answer them.

Battlefront II - PS2

I bought this game for me. I had no real intentions that my boy would play this game for some time. However, being Star Wars, he wanted to, so we started the split screen mode up, and to my surprise, he has been able to play this game pretty well. So, I decided I would give all you parents out there a heads up on Battlefront II, and the younger children.

First off, a quick review. This game is nicely done. In the normal story mode, you play as one of the clone troopers in the 501st. You start out during the time of the Republic, and work your way through Episode III of the movie through the time of where the Clones turn against the Jedi and work your way into the story of Episode IV. If you are a Star Wars fan, you'll like this game. You fight both as a soldier, as well as getting to pilot vehicles and spaceships. You can board the enemy ships, and even take their fighters if you want. There are many places you will battle that you've seen before through the movies.

You get to play several different classes. Each class has its own unique benefits and you can switch between the classes to help get the job done. Also, as you play the game, you get to play characters like Jedi, and even Boba Fett.

There is another mode to this game called Galactic Conquest. Here, you have a map with 12 planets on it, and you start out with a space fleet. You then go through and try to take over other planets. Trying to conquer the Galaxy (hence the catchy name). When you attack the planets, you fight on the ground, in space, you have your marines and pilots to fight as you see fit.

Obviously, this game is meant for teens. You have your rocket launchers, and blaster pistols and rifles, and you kill your opponents. If this is something you don't want you child doing, then this is not the game for you. I don't mind so much as I use these times as teaching moments to help explain reality and fantasy. This isn't a blood and guts type of game, so that helps.

My boy has done real well. The more he plays, the better he gets. I was really impressed last night when he and one of his friends who is a bit older than him were playing. They made it through the first couple of levels with very little help. He has even played it by himself and completed a level or two.

There is reading involved in this game. So, though I've listed that this game is playable for 6 years and older, someone playing should be able to read.

He has told me he likes being able to play as Jedi as well as the other characters. I think part of his love for this game is the same as me. This is Star Wars. You get to explore the environment, you get to BE Star Wars Characters.

If you are looking for a game that you can play with your younger child, then this may just be the game for you. Especially if you both like Star Wars.

If you are after a game that you wont have to help your child play, then this is NOT the game for you.

The game has a Teen rating for Mild Language and Violence. I've seen the violence, but I've not noticed the language. At least not yet.

One last note, I've not played the online portion of this game since I do not yet have a network adapter. As with most online games, the people that you play with makes a huge difference, and I would not suggest a young child play this game online.

Playable ages: 6+
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
ESRB Rating: Teen (Mild Language, Violence)
Players: 1-2 (online: 1-24 broadband only)
Overall Rating: 9.1

Find information about it at Playstation or at the Official LucasArts site.
Have questions? Ask, and I'll try to answer them.

Nicktoons Unite! - PS2

This is an interesting game from THQ. Here, the Nicktoon characters of Jimmy Neutron, Timmy Turner, Danny Phantom, and Spongebob Squarepants have to team up to defeat the Evil Syndicate, which is made up of a villain from each show, Professor Calamitous, Denzel Crocker, Vlad Plasmus, and Sheldon Plankton respectedly.

The Syndicate is stealing power from each of their worlds, to power some dooms day machine.

Playability for my 6 year old is good. He is able to play without much help. If he could read, he'd probably need no help. (Darn that reading). Anyway, we've helped him some on figuring out what he needs to do, but he's been able to do it all himself.

We have found at least one bug with the game. He was locked in a room, defeated all the characters in the room, and couldn't get out. After quiting the game and starting back off from his last save point, once beating that rooms last enemy, the door opened.

When I asked him what he thought of the game, my boy said:

It's fun. You like beating up all the guys, even the masters, and learning what new powers I'll get. All the characters get special powers that are real cool.

Playable ages: 6+
Difficulty: Medium
ESRB Rating: Everyone (Cartoon Violence)
Players: 1-4
Overall Rating: 8.0

Find information about it at Playstation.

Lights, Camera, Pants - PS2

This is another Party game for the PS2. There are parts of this game that are extremely fun to play. However, there are parts that are not so much fun. The story mode is ok. To me, the real fun is where you get to choose what levels you want to play. That only happens once you beat the level, opening it up for the tournament mode. There are 30 levels to this game

We have other Sponge Bob games, and though the multi-player portion of this game is nice, it is not one of our favorite games. We played this for a week or 2 right after Christmas. Then we put it up as we played other games. It wasn't until yesterday that my boy wanted to get this game back out and play. He says he likes the game, but the amount of playtime this game has received speaks for itself I think. There are parts of this game that your child may have difficulties getting through without your help.

When I asked him what he thought of the game, my boy said:

I like it. It's a bit too hard, when it gets harder (translation sometimes).

Playable ages: 5+
Difficulty: Medium
ESRB Rating: Everyone (Mild Cartoon Violence)
Players: 1 -4
Overall Rating: 7.5

Find information about it at Playstation or the official site at THQ.

Ape Escape 3 - PS2

Ape Escape 3 followed in Ape Escape 2's footsteps in being a great game!
Once again, those monkeys are out terrorizing the world. They've taken over TV stations, and turning everyone that watches their horrible shows into couch potatoes. Your job is to take them off the air.

Once again, you will have to battle Spectre and the Freaky Monkey Five. Though the controls and gadgets are the same from last time, you have a few more items this time around. Also, you have the ability to Morph into costumes that you then gain some new abilities while the morph lasts. These I must say are way cool! Oh, one other change from the previous game. The monkeys can take your item that you are trying to use on them and use it on you. So if you have your net out and are trying to catch them, they will sometimes take the net away from you and try to catch you with it. Sometimes, they will succeed.

My son has been enthralled with this game since we brought it home.

I do believe that this game is a bit easier than Ape Escape 2 was, either that or we just got so good at Ape Escape 2, this one seems easy. This is really a good thing. So far, my boy is about 50+% the way through and has had to have very little help. I like helping him, but part of the games is figuring out how to beat them, they aren't always just the mind numbing things people think they are.

Now, my boy is now 6, and like I said is playing well. I believe that most 4 year olds could play this game and enjoy it, but the younger they are, the more help they are going to need.

When I asked him what he thought of the game, my boy said:

It's good! Every part is good. Kids younger than me would really like to play it. They would, they would, they would. I like playing the big boss monkeys and capturing them when you change into special powers. Cyber-Ace and Ninja our my favorites. The Ninja can walk on walls and up strings, and Cyber-Ace has powerful shooters!

I like the mini-game Ultim-ape Fighter.

Playable ages: 4+ (5+ if you don't want to help you child much)
Difficulty: Low Medium (Mostly easy, but some hard spots)
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+ (Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor)
Overall Rating: 8.9

Find information about it at Playstation or the official site.

Ape Escape 2 - PS2

We rented this game for my son about a year and a half ago. He, and my wife, loved this game! This was all that we played for a long time. We extended the rental twice, and then went and bought the game. Though, that took some doing since it was such a hard game to find. This was a non-stop event. My wife lost hours and hours of sleep.

This game was worth the money and effort to find. Even today, we still play this game. This game starts off pretty easy. You start off with a net, and you go around and capture these silly monkeys. Your health indicators are cookies. You have to sneak up on monkeys to capture them. There are 20 levels, 8 bosses, and over 300 monkeys to catch. You'll eventually have 12 gadgets to use to help catch those pesky monkeys.

There are 3 mini-games that you can get as the game progresses. These mini-games can have 2 players. This is the extent of the multi-player capabilities. Dance monkey Dance, was by far, my most favorite mini-game.

This game is not a game that a young child will be able to beat. With the book we finally bought at the store, and hours and hours of playtime, we finally got through the last level, which was by far the hardest. Oh, and the boss levels, are very hard too. The in-between levels, a young child should be able to do without much problem.

When I asked him what he thought of the game, my boy said:

GOOD!
I liked it when I got close to the monkeys and their light turned yellow before I got them. I also liked the dinosaur level and the T-Rex on it.
There were levels where the piranha where in the water and you had to fly over it instead of swimming in it. I really liked capturing the funny monkeys. It was kinda easy to catch the fast ones, especially when they tripped. There were hard parts and easy parts.

Playable ages: 4+ (I'm pretty sure my son was playing this game at 4 1/2)
Difficulty: Medium (Lots of easy areas, as well as medium and Hard areas)
ESRB Rating: Everyone (Comic Mischief, Mild Violence)
Overall Rating: 8.7

You can learn more about this game from PlayStation and UBISOFT